Thursday December 25 2025 - No-Tan-Tako/Interlaken Trails - Finger Lakes National Forest NY - 5 miles, about 300 feet elevation gain

Alltrails is our trusted digital companion that we use for almost every hike and have for years.  Usually it lists a lot of different trails and in areas with a dense trail network there are often multiple combinations that people have submitted that give you different lengths, routes and elevation gains.  At this trailhead, there is only 1 trail on AllTrails and it is the No-Tan-Tako trail.  I guess in isolation it’s an ok trail.  It mostly cuts through a long scrubby field, passing through a number of cattle gates and other agricultural looking land.  But the Interlaken trail starts at exactly the same trailhead (maybe 20 feet away from the No-Tan-Tako sign) and takes you to exactly the same place as the other trail.  This makes it a matter of picking a favorite or, as we have done here, making a loop of the 2 trails.  I’m just surprised the No-Tan-Tako trail was the one chosed to put on AllTrails.  The Interlaken trail runs through an attractive stand of trees, has more texture (ups and downs) and virtually no animal poop to walk around.  It’s also more protected from sun or wind.

Sun would have been a nice addition to our hike.  It was REALLY cold.  I think the temperature was about  22 but the windchill was probably flirting with single digits especially walking through what felt like endless fields on the No-Tan-Tako trail on the way back.  It was also snowing a tiny bit.  So, this 5 mile trail might not sound very impressive but considering the poor conditions we felt accomplished getting it done.

Our trail plot is here.  The right hand trail was the Interlaken and at the farthest point out from our starting point is where the 2 trails meet.   The actual plot AllTrails recommends would have gone a little farther out (North?) than we went but since we haven’t done that last little bit either time I can’t say for sure what lies at the end of the AllTrails official plotted trail, just what we’ve done.









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